


Retepsian Cuisine

by Belsmomaus



Series: Straight answers without cussing [2]
Category: The Orville (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Happily Married, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Series, ed being ed, so there's at least some silliness in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 20:28:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16436252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belsmomaus/pseuds/Belsmomaus
Summary: It's their fourth wedding anniversary and somehow they actually managed to celebrate it with an impromptu trip to a Retepsian colony.Unfortunately Retepsian cuisine isn't for everybody and the night doesn't go as planned. At all!





	Retepsian Cuisine

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story that got this rolling. The initial idea so to speak.  
> It was also the first I wrote.  
> It took me by surprise how much I enjoyed writing those two madly in love. I think they complement each other so perfectly and their tempers just fit and make for a lot of funny moments, but I also see why it's the best for them in the show to not go that way again because it would clash with their professional lives. Still, I really love them as a couple.
> 
> Enjoy the story!

 

“Phew! I think that was a tad too much.” Ed leaned back in his seat with a silent groan and rubbed his belly, that ‘oops’-look all over his face. “But those- what were they called again? The brown berries?”

Kelly frowned, trying to remember the name from the menu. “Jemlee- something, um… jay- chayllith! That’s the one.”

“Yes! Chayllith!”

Kelly nodded, already knowing what he wanted to say and agreeing. “They weren’t much for the eye, but-”

“Absolutely delicious,” they finished the sentence together, which made them both smile.

“Too delicious to not finish them all. I never thought Retepsian cuisinie would be that good, to be honest.” He rubbed his belly again, grimacing a little, then leaned back towards her.

“Yeah, it’s the color. It’s a bit off-putting at first. No, it’s _very_ off-putting, but it was so worth it!” Eating a whole plate, let alone a complete dinner that consisted of blue meats, mostly red and black vegetables and green and brown fruits was a rather adventurous endeavor after all. “Not for nothing does it say: no risk, no reward.”

Ed cocked an eyebrow at her. “I prefer ‘no guts, no glory’. It has a better ring to it, don’t you think?”

She snorted, this was such a typical Ed-thing to say.

This was really a wonderful night.

No, a wonderful trip. All of it.

Ed had really outdone himself, especially on such short notice.

It’s actually a bit sad to think that their 4th wedding anniversary had to be planned on short notice at all, but she wasn’t willing to think about that. It’s their life and they chose it with their eyes wide open, so she couldn’t really complain.

For ages they were certain that they wouldn’t be able to see each other at all that day with both of them serving on different ships at the moment. But for once luck had been on their side. Their ships were currently in neighboring systems and bound to stay for a few days. Both their captains had practically urged them to take some time off and here they were now, on Aegos V, a Retepsian colony (not what they would have chosen under normal circumstances but with only a few desert moons, the Horbalak homeplanet and Aegos V to choose from the choice had been surprisingly easy).

They’d had no idea what to expect – their contact with Retepsian culture up to that point consisted only of hearsay and lectures at Union Point. They’d certainly been in for a surprise.

Ed had managed to find a room in a hotel in a very mountainous area of the planet, one of their more touristy spots as it turned out. Their suite was beautiful, a bit strange on the eye here and there, but comfy and the view was breathtaking. So breathtaking indeed, that they’d immediately started on a spontaneous hike.

She’d loved every second of it. Not just because of the fresh air after weeks on a spaceship or because of the amazing view – tall mountains made of shimmering dark blue stone with steep cliffs that sparkled in the sunlight; countless lakes embedded in the valleys in between, their water a soft, milky blue and behind all that the silvery twin rings at the sky that surrounded the planet. The reason she loved every second of it was that it was just her and Ed. For once there was no work, no pressing matter that distracted them from one another. Just them, talking and teasing and laughing and sitting there in each others arms after a rather demanding hike, enjoying this strange and beautiful nature.

Back again, after a shower, they’d taken an air-shuttle to the ‘best restaurant on the continent’ – according to the receptionist – just a few cities away. No matter how strange Retepsian cuisine may look to the human eye, it was really delicious once you let yourself in for the experience.

They’d even learned that among Retepsians it was usual to celebrate an especially romantic dinner by sharing a meal, quite literally. They had special bowls that held a portion for two and you ate together from it.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

They got one of those bowls, or – more precisely – a whole course of shared bowls.

She really wished they’d have more time.

_Stop thinking about the end of this already! Just enjoy the moment!_

It was hard, though, knowing that tomorrow afternoon Ed would have to leave again. His ship was bound for an exploratory mission of uncharted space, something he’d always dreamed of. And it would be his first mission as Second Officer. She was so proud of him. And happy for him, even though it meant that they probably wouldn’t see each other for up to six months. No, she really didn’t want to think of _that_ right now.

She wanted to enjoy this time together while it lasted.

 

 

***

 

 

“Breathe that air!” As soon as they stepped outside to wait for their air-shuttle Kelly took a deep breath. “It smells different than on Earth, don’t you think? Somewhat fresher. And earthy, almost like freshly cut grass.”

“Mmhm.”

A bit puzzled by this rather uninterested reaction she turned her back on the dazzling city lights to look at Ed. His hand was up, shading his eyes from the artificial lights as well as rubbing his forehead. Just as she was about to ask him he dropped his hand and noticed her staring at him.

“It’s fine. Just a little headache. Nothing to worry about.” He took one of her hands in his and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer and without missing a beat started to sway with her, dancing to an inaudible tune. The smile on his lips would’ve charmed any woman, but it was just for her. “Tonight is all about us. And I’ve got no intention of letting a damn headache getting in the way.”

He raised his arm and led her with a gentle push against her back into a slow spin away from him, only stopped by their touching hands. He winked at her, then led her into another spin right back into his arms. Only this time he pushed a bit further and with a surprised little squeak she fell backwards into his arm, just like in one of those really, really old movies. And just as in those movies he leaned down and kissed her before righting them both again.

A couple of Retepsians who just left the restaurant stared at them with big eyes and an obvious lack of understanding.

His antics. Their faces. She couldn’t help but snuggle up against him and giggle like a schoolgirl. “You’re such a nutcase!”

God, first a squeak and now a giggle? She must be tipsy after all.

He took a step back and bowed slightly before her. “One nutcase, at your service!”

Just at that moment their air-shuttle arrived. She got in, greeted the driver and settled down. Ed flopped down next to her and his grin turned into a frown as he heaved a sigh and rubbed his belly again.

“I didn’t eat _that_ much, did I?”

“Well...” She only raised her eyebrow at him, but didn’t manage to keep a grin from her face, especially at his indignant “hey”. “You did steal almost all of my chayllith berries.”

“What a blatant lie! You said you’ve had enough! Oh come here you-”

He pulled her closer at his side. She snuggled against him, enjoying the scent of him with her nose against his throat, while he did the same with his nose in her hair.

“What a pair we are,” he mused, “a nutcase and a pretty little liar.”

 

 

***

 

 

By the time they finally reached their suite maybe half an hour later Ed was unusually quiet next to her. It had started in the shuttle, slow and barely noticeable, but now it was practically screaming in her face.

The light flashed on automatically in the room. She didn’t miss him flinching.

Kelly frowned. “Ed? Are you okay?” The bright light revealed what the dull nighttime lighting of the shuttle and the hotel lobby had hidden: he was awfully pale.

Ed shrugged. “I’m not sure.” With an exasperated sigh he raked a hand through his hair and sat down on the couch. And winced. He leaned further back, one hand across his belly. “Usually nothing’s able to upset my stomach...”

She sat down next to him, all sobered up now. “Maybe something had gone bad and we didn’t realize it? Or something just wasn’t meant for human consumption?”

His head, resting against the backrest, simply rolled in her direction. “You ate exactly the same, Kel. No, it was probably just too much.” He might say so, but it was obvious from his tone alone that he wasn’t so sure himself. “Or maybe I’m coming down with something.”

That was quite possible. He certainly looked the part, with his dull eyes, again shaded by his hand against the unforgiving light. That certain spring in his movements had totally vanished, as if something had sapped all his energy.

“Lights, 30%.”

The brightness dimmed down to something not exactly dim, but close to it. Ed instantly sighed with relief and his whole body sagged deeper into the couch.

“Hey.” She leaned closer and put her hand on his chest to get his attention. She rubbed random patterns across his shirt.

His hand dropped down, only to reveal the guiltiest expression she had ever seen. Well, not just guilt, more like a whole mix of emotions: sorrow, self-recrimination, anger. “I am so, so sorry Kel. It’s our anniversary and I ruined it. It was supposed to be a wonderful and memorable night. I had plans. You would’ve like them. None of them involved headaches or upset stomachs, though.”

“Hey,” she interrupted him before he could sink even deeper into self-accusations, “it’s not your fault. I know this isn’t how you envisioned this night – I didn’t either – but I’m not willing to let this little mishap sour this day.” Kelly reached up and cupped his face, stroking her thumb across his cheek. “Because I had a really, really wonderful day, Ed!”

The corners of his mouth twitched into a slow and tired smile. “That’s at least something.”

“It’s more than something. But now I just want you to be okay again, so lets get you to bed. A good night’s sleep never hurt anyone. With a little luck you’ll feel much better tomorrow. And if you do,” she put on her best sultry smile, “then we’ve still got lots of time for your plans before you have to leave.”

His lips twitched even further up. To anyone else it might have looked like a typical grin, but even though it reached his eyes it lacked something. Something vital. There was no eager enthusiasm, no _life_ behind it.

He really didn’t feel well.

She helped him up and gently pushed him in the direction of the bathroom, where he vanished a moment later, his steps slow and shuffling. While he’s getting ready for bed she slipped off first her shoes and then her dress. After ruffling through her bag for a moment she even found a long and comfy shirt to sleep in – not exactly the nightwear she’d had in mind when packing, but at least she had an alternative to nothing.

As she headed into the bathroom Ed was just coming out again, just in a black set of boxer briefs and undershirt, his fancy suit gone. He tried for an apologetic little smile as he passed, but it was just sad. A stark contrast to his bubbling energy only an hour earlier.

She hurried through her evening routine, then grabbed the pieces of his haphazardly dropped suit, folded them up more or less neatly and placed them on the couch in the living area. She filled a glass with water and went back to put it on his nightstand.

He hadn’t said a word since he’d left the couch.

His eyes fluttered open as he sensed her presence, sluggish as if he really had to put conscious effort into that small motion. His gaze, tired and anguished – although she assumed that him feeling guilty had more to do with that than actual pain – followed her movements as she sat down at the edge of the bed. He was curled up on his side, the blanket all the way up to his neck, only his pale face and messy hair were visible.

She smiled at him. A bit sad, but mostly a warm and loving smile. She reached out until the back of her hand touched his forehead. If anything it was a bit cooler than expected, but at least he didn’t run a fever.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Enough of that. It’s not your fault. Now try to get some sleep, okay?”

She got up as his eyes closed again.

Sure, she’d envisioned their precious time together a bit differently, but life didn’t always go as planned. At least they’d had a really lovely day and they were together. And she’d promised ‘in sickness and in health’ after all.

Maybe he was indeed coming down with something. A stomach flu or a cold?

It’s a bit weird – and rather sad, to be honest – but she wouldn’t know. She’d barely seen Ed sick in all their time together, if ever – apart from some serious hangovers, that is. For one he barely got sick to begin with and the few times it had happened, had always been during one of his missions aboard a spaceship. All she got to work with were his tales of said rare events, which were either rather short and full of holes, if he was embarrassed by what had happened, or especially filigreed and mostly just aimed at her feeling sorry for him.

They were married for four years and in a relationship for almost eight and she’d never seen her husband sick? That wasn’t exactly a quality seal for their marriage, was it?

She shook her head, unwilling to think about stuff like that right now. Instead she crawled into bed as well and snuggled up against Ed’s back. She nuzzled his neck with her nose, because she knew that he liked that. The only reaction was a pleased hum.

For a moment she’s unsure where to put her hand, she didn’t want to place it on his stomach with him feeling unwell. In the end she settled for his side. “Is this okay?”

Another hum answered.

“Good night.” She kissed the nape of his neck, then mumbled against his warm skin, just loud enough that she’s sure he understood her well enough: “Love you.”

Another pleased hum vibrated through his chest.

She couldn’t remember a time when he’d been this quiet. It was far more unsettling than she wanted to admit.

Sleep didn’t come easy that night.

 

 

***

 

 

Her eyes flew open and she just knew that something was off. With her mind still half asleep that strange _wrongness_ that pressed in on her from all around was disorienting. And quite unsettling.

Kelly blinked a few times to get her bearings, all the while listening closely for anything unusual. There was nothing. Everything was quiet and the room was just the same as the night before. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, only illuminated by the faint light of the planet’s twin moons shining in through the window. There was indeed nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing that would explain this strange feeling that she just couldn’t shake.

With a frown on her face she slowly turned on her back, pushing herself up on her elbows in the process. The rustling of fabric sounded eerily loud in the dark silence all around.

Ed was gone.

Suddenly wide awake she sat up straight, her eyes scanning the room again, only this time with an agenda. To no avail, nothing had changed in the moments since her checking before. It was the same room, same bed, same curtains, same everything with the only difference that the other side of the bed was empty.

“Ed?”

No answer. No reaction at all.

Maybe he didn’t hear her? And where was he anyway?

Well, there was only one place she could think of that made any sense at all, but the door to the bathroom was closed and no light was shining through the crack underneath the door. Still, she slowly got up, listening closely for the sound of a flushing toilet. There was only silence. No flush, no footsteps, no running water in the sink, no sound at all.

She crossed the room on naked feet, the floor a tiny bit cold against her feet, and stopped at the bathroom door.

“Ed?”

Again nothing but silence.

By now there was no way to shake this unease again, no way except finding Ed. She knocked on the door, instinctively holding her breath.

“Ed? You in there?”

She waited a second, then another one. She couldn’t take waiting another one, so she opened the door. The pale light of the moons filled the spacious room and reflected back off of the strange material of the walls, that looked like wet glass by day and shimmered like the surface of a lake in the moonlight right now. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but she had no eyes for it at all.

Not when she finally spotted Ed in the corner with the toilet, huddling on the floor with his head resting on the toilet seat.

“Ed!”

And barely a heartbeat later: “Lights!”

The lights flashed on without mercy. It stung in her eyes and she shied back, blinking hard for a moment. Stupid! That was so damn, fucking stupid!

But her discomfort was nothing compared to the anguished groan that suddenly filled the room. She forgot about her hurting eyes and looked. And startled in shock. It was Ed on the floor – of course it was Ed, who else should it be – and yet it wasn’t. She’d never seen him like _this_. So absolutely, shockingly miserable. His eyes were screwed shut, his whole face a grimace of pain as he desperately tried to shade his eyes from the unforgiving light with his hand. A hand that was shaking so bad it didn’t work.

Her brain struggled to take it all in and yet she acted almost the second she’d heard his pained groan: she dimmed the lights considerably and headed towards him in an instant.

Before she reached him, his groan turned into this weird gurgling sound and right on over into him gagging. His whole body was shaking with the force of his dry heaving – there was nothing coming out of him, which only made her wonder how long he’d been already in here. He clung to the toilet with trembling arms, trying with all his might to keep his face over the toilet bowl, but Kelly doubted that he’d be able to keep himself upright for very much longer.

She was down at his side in a heartbeat, wrapping one arm around his chest to support him while she placed her other hand on his forehead to hold his head up. It took ages. His muscles just wouldn’t stop spasming, his breathing ragged and constantly switching from gagging to coughing which led to new gagging and heaving. But no matter how hard he or his body tried to expel anything, there was nothing coming out. Not anymore, Kelly suspected.

One of his arms slipped from the toilet seat long before he was done, he simply no longer had the strength to keep it up.

As it finally – _finally_ – stopped, Ed went completely limp and would’ve crumpled to the floor hadn’t she had her arm around him already. He was cold to the touch. Cold and sweaty. His shirt was damp beneath her fingers. And he’s trembling. His breaths were coming in quick, shallow gasps.

She absolutely hated the sound of it.

Carefully she pulled him against her and, after readjusting her grip, maneuvered him into a sitting position against the wall. With his face towards her there was nothing hidden anymore, not even in the dim light. He was a mess. Remnants of vomit stained his undershirt and his chin. His face was ashen and it glistened with sweat.

Something gnawed at her insides.

“Ed?”

His eyes fluttered shut.

Instantly she edged closer, her hands on his shoulders gripping him harder.

“Ed? Come on, Ed, stay awake!”

There was a strange pressure against her chest, making it harder to breathe properly. As if something was squeezing her. Not yet fear, but it was getting close.

“I am.”

It was hard to connect that feeble mumbling to the energetic Ed she knew and yet, right now she was simply relieved to hear his voice at all. She stroked his sweaty hair out of his brow, then caressed his cold cheek.

“Dear God, how long have you been in here?”

He leaned into her touch, but his eyes stayed closed. “Not sure,” he rasped, his voice rough from all the vomiting and gagging. It was barely above a whisper, the words tired and slurring. And his breath smelled of bile. “Half ‘n hour?”

_Half an hour?_

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Needed t’ get in here fast. ‘N then it wouldn’t stop.”

Oh dear Lord. She’d been sleeping like a baby while he’d been in here for who knew how long, puking his guts out to a point that left him a trembling mess. Why didn’t she wake up when he left the bed?

“I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you, baby. Do you at least feel better now that everything’s out?”

Well, he didn’t _look_ better – not that she knew how he’d looked at the beginning of this – but she needed to know.

“No.” It didn’t exactly come as a surprise. His head sagged a bit further. “Worse.”

Shit!

Now that let all kinds of alarm bells in her mind ring. No matter the cause of this, the state he was in called for professional help. With a quick glance around she found what she was looking for. She left him for a second to grab the nearby bath towel, then knelt back in front of him.

“Don’t startle, okay?”

She pulled him towards her and leaned him against her chest, unsteady as he was. With few quick and deft movements the warm and fluffy towel was draped across his back and she guided him gently back against the wall. He groaned at the movement – or at his head connecting with the wall, or both – and grimaced in pain. Somehow that didn’t scare her as much as the fact that he offered no resistance at all to her ministrations.

She pulled at the towel and brought its ends together at his chest, effectively wrapping him up completely.

“There you go. That’s better, isn’t it?”

He hummed a positive. Not very convincing, though.

She got up again and grabbed a small towel. After a few seconds underneath warm water she wrung it out again and knelt back down. The floor was cold against her naked legs. And Ed had been sitting on it for quite a while now in just his underwear, no wonder he was shivering.

“Ed?” she started, while gently grabbing his chin. Once she’d lifted his face up a bit she wiped his face with the wet towel, cleaning the sweat away as well as the remnants of saliva and vomit that glistened on his chin. “You said it’s worse.”

“’Tis.”

“Tell me! Worse how? What’s wrong? Apart from the obvious.”

He cringed all of a sudden, his arms pressing in on his stomach as he tried to curl up in his current position. Pain and misery were written all over his face. Still, a few heaving breaths later he forced out an answer.

“Stomach hurts… nauseous… headache… an’ dizzy… really dizzy...”

She _really_ didn’t like the sound of that.

“Alright, I’ll be right back, okay? I’ll call for a doctor, just- hang in there, okay?”

His head, leaning back against the wall again, lolled slowly to the side as he hummed as a sign that he understood. Leaving him alone, if only for a few moments, was harder than expected. But she knew getting a doctor here as fast as possible was the only sensible thing to do. Still, her fingers found his cheek in one last loving caress before she finally left the bathroom.

She hurried towards the bed and activated the communication unit on the nightstand harder than necessary. The seconds ticked by, one longer than the one before. By the time she’d explained the situation to the friendly receptionist she’d lost all sense of time. It felt like she’d left Ed on his own ages ago although she knew it could only be moments.

“I’ll contact Dr. Lacrell immediately and send him directly to your room. He’s the physician on call of our resort’s own medical unit, so it will only take a few minutes.”

She ended the call, unsure if she’d even said ‘thank you’.

She’s back in the bathroom in an instant. Ed was just where she’d left him. He hadn’t moved an inch, but was he even paler than before? Against the dark green of the towel and the bluish, silvery wall he looked more gray than anything else. And his face was all sweaty again.

“Ed? Are you still with me?”

“So dizzy...”

“Come here,” she said and sat down next to him. “Lie down. That’ll be more comfortable, you’ll see.” She nudged him in her direction and guided him down gently as he more or less simply tipped over and sagged against her. The whole way down he groaned in pain, his eyes screwed up tightly. With his head finally in her lap he rested on his side, his legs pulled up as much as he could manage. He’s shaking, if from exhaustion or cold or something else she didn’t know.

“The doctor is on his way. Just- just breathe and try to relax. It won’t take long and you’ll feel better again. You’ll see.”

It sounded hollow, at least to her own ears. She only hoped he’d be able to get any comfort out of it. To be sure – and because she needed something to do, _anything_ to not feel this useless – she ran her fingers through his hair. The first time she didn’t really think about it, it was more of an automatic reaction, but then it turned into just the right thing to do. It calmed her down, gave her a purpose, no matter how insignificant, and she hoped it comforted him as well, at least a little.

Again and again her fingers ran through his sweat-damp hair, across his forehead and down his cheek. Over and over, all the while murmuring reassurances.

It worked and he relaxed a bit, if only for about a minute.

It started with a frown, then he tensed, groaned pitifully and started dry heaving again. He twitched all over, weakly, as if his body had simply no more energy left to make his muscles convulse properly anymore.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Just a little bit longer.”

She rubbed his shoulder through the towel and stroked his hair and it wasn’t enough. It just wasn’t! He was suffering and there was just _nothing_ she could do. She doubted she’d ever felt this helpless in her whole life. And she hated it! Hated it with a vengeance!

She didn’t know how she managed to keep her voice calm and reassuring, for she sure felt nothing of those things. Just on the contrary. Her gaze jumped over to the door over and over in the hopes of seeing the promised doctor while her heart beat faster and faster in her chest.

This could impossibly be just a stomach flu.

But what was wrong with Ed, then?

Food poisoning? That made no sense, she’d eaten the exact same things and she felt perfectly fine.

This made no sense at all and that only made it worse.

She’d never seen him like this and if she’d had a say in it she never wanted to ever again. So weak and in pain and so terribly, terribly quiet.

It _hurt_!

And it scared her.

And that’s when it hit her: he hadn’t cursed once since she’d found him. Not once. No ‘shit’, no ‘damn’, no ‘it hurts like hell’, no ‘damn, fucking inconvenient’.

If she hadn’t know it already, now she had unmistakable proof: this was bad. Really, really bad.

“Hello?”

The second the faint voice sounded through the suite a relieved gasp escaped her lips.

“We’re in the bathroom.”

Ed flinched in her arms as she raised her voice.

Footsteps followed. A moment later a rather unspectacular Retepsian came through the door. His clothes were slightly rumpled and his shirt hung a bit weirdly on his rather stocky frame, suggesting that he had either slept in it or had grabbed the next best thing in his hurry to get here. Although a bit pale from being woken up in the middle of the night, his gaze was sharp and friendly and focused immediately on the patient.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Lacrell.”

“Hi. I’m Kelly and this is my husband, Ed.”

Another Retepsian stepped into the room, pulling an anti-grav stretcher behind her. The young woman stayed back, though, and Kelly didn’t pay her any mind right now.

“What happened?” Dr. Lacrell asked while kneeling down and opening up his medkit.

Kelly told him everything. About their meal at the restaurant and him not feeling well afterwards and how she’d found him now. Her voice got unusually unsteady towards the end.

All the while the doctor nodded, listening closely to her story. With his scanner at the ready he leaned down and placed his hand on Ed’s shoulder, trying to get his attention.

“Ed? Are you still awake?”

Ed made a nondescript noise, halfway between a hum and a grunt.

“Good. I’m going to scan you now.”

He ran the scanner over his body for an initial check. His eyes narrowed. “He’s tachycardic and his BP is way below normal, which would certainly explain the dizziness.” He went back to take a more in depth scan of Ed’s midriff. “You know, it’s not uncommon for Humans to feel a bit of queasiness or nausea after consuming a Retepsian meal. There’s this chemical in many of our food items that’s foreign to Human metabolism. Your digestive system breaks it down into two compounds. One of them is harmless, the other one is called tserebzin, which is rather toxic.”

Kelly’s eyes snapped up at that, then focused back on Ed.

“Human metabolism can break that down into something harmless as well, though, with some people it just takes a bit longer than with others.”

At least it _sounded_ as if he was adequately trained in human physiology, although that still didn’t explain why Ed was this bad off.

“But he’s more than just a bit queasy.”

The scanner beeped softly, signaling that the scan was finished. Dr. Lacrell studied the display, his frown deepening by the second. “Alright, get the stretcher ready,” he addressed his colleague at the door while at the same time readying an injection, “we’ll take him to medbay immediately. Ed? I’m going to give you something to boost your cardiovascular system a little bit. That should ease the dizziness.”

Ed grimaced as the hypo hissed against his neck.

“Can you tell me exactly what you had to eat?”

Ed’s voice was coarse and thin, but he still gave his best. “I dunno… what it’s… called...”

The sudden seriousness and urgency in the doctor’s voice and demeanor set Kelly on edge. Nonetheless – or because of it – she gave her best to help out. “We had meat and vegetables and a sweet, chocolaty cream with chayllith berries. I can’t tell you any more. We really don’t know what all these things are called. And anyway, I had exactly the same. Do you really think it’s from the food?”

The doctor’s lips pressed into a thin line, a rather human expression. And not a good one. “The scan shows an unusually high amount of tserebzin in his body. Dangerously high.”

The stretcher was suddenly right next to Ed and the two Retepsians quickly hoisted him onto it. A pitiful groan followed the movement and Kelly reached out on instinct to squeeze his shoulder.

“Tserebzin can cause all kinds of damage to internal organs. That’s why we need to act fast and get the toxin out of his body.”

The two professionals were up in a heartbeat, the open medkit right next to Ed on the anti-grav stretcher, ready to leave. Kelly scrambled to get up, feeling two steps behind all of a sudden. And not just literally. Her heart was thumping loud in her ears, droning out the noises around, everything except Ed’s rasping breaths and pitiful whines.

Toxin. Dangerous. Damage.

The words reverberated in her head, over and over, but she couldn’t dwell on them. She needed her wits right now, needed a cool head. Needed to stay with Ed. And they were just about to push him out of the room.

A hand appeared abruptly in her line of vision, blue and alien and so very, very welcome as it reached out for her. She grabbed it and let the doctor pull her up the rest of the way. There was something kind and understanding in the way he looked at her, put an arm around her shoulders and gently but swiftly guided her out of the room.

“It’s alright. You’re worried for him and I probably made that worse, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. I won’t lie, I’ve never seen a case this bad, but we caught it early and with the proper treatment we should be able to get rid of the toxin within a few hours.”

She nodded – what else could she do?

 

 

***

 

 

For the first time in her life Kelly had encountered a medbay with truly comfortable chairs. No matter if on a spaceship or any hospital she’s ever been to, the chairs at the bedside for visitors had always been a nightmare to sit in, especially if you had to spend more than just a few minutes on them. She’d always thought it some kind of universal law, that maybe there was a reason behind those chairs being the way they were – whatever that may be. Well, either there was no such law or the Retepsians had never heard of it, because these chairs were soft and comfy and had a high backrest that would even allow for a nap without cricking one’s neck in the process.

For once she got provided with every comfort she could ever need from a piece of seating furniture while sitting at a bedside and waiting for a loved one to wake up, but even now, hours later, she just wasn’t able to relax.

“It’ll take a while until he’ll wake up, so why don’t you try to get some sleep. We can call you as soon as he wakes up or you can stay right here. Anyway, you deserve a little rest yourself, sweetie, after all that stress.” Those had been the words of the kind old night nurse, along with some additional assurances that Ed would be fine.

Of course she’d stayed, but even with the blanket and the soothing cup of tea the woman had brought Kelly hadn’t been able to sleep. And she doubted she would be until she actually heard Ed’s voice again, breaking this awful silence.

It was early morning now and the first streaks of sunlight filtered in through the window. She sat on the chair, her legs curled up beneath her. The plush pair of slippers that the hotel had provided her with was on the floor in front of her, not needed at the moment, but she was wrapped in the warm dressing gown – also with regards from the hotel. One of her hands rested underneath Ed’s blanket, holding his hand in hers, never letting go.

He looked better now. Much better. And peaceful, almost as if nothing had happened.

There was finally some color back in his cheeks and his hands didn’t feel like ice anymore. His hair, plastered against his head by sweat a few hours ago, had dried and stood up in all directions, which was probably her fault, seeing how much she’d stroked her fingers through it to soothe the both of them.

It had taken the treatment an awful lot of time to finally show effect. The doctor had given Ed something for the headache right away, as well as some muscle relaxant to give him a chance to relax before starting the more complicated procedure of tackling the toxin. Still, it had felt like hours to her until his exhaustion had eventually outweighed his discomfort and he’d fallen into a fitful sleep. With time the scans had shown that the toxin amount in his body was dropping and Dr. Lacrell had started treating some damage the toxic metabolite had done to Ed’s liver. ‘Easy to fix and nothing to worry about’ he’d called it and in the end he’d assured her that he’d make a full recovery by midday if not sooner.

Even now, exhausted and relieved as she was, she couldn’t help thinking about all the things that could’ve gone wrong. Hadn’t she woken up when she had… he might have suffered liver failure or even brain damage. She shivered involuntarily and squeezed his warm hand to reassure herself.

And all that just from a meal of delicious food. It didn’t seem fair.

She would never get used to seeing him like this – and by God she didn’t want to! She didn’t want to see him like this ever again. Not because she couldn’t handle it, but because she didn’t want him in pain like that again, shaking and suffering.

A soft, drawn out grunt sounded from the bed, that had her alert in an instance. His fingers twitched beneath hers and she gently squeezed them, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. He grunted again, frowning and pulling faces, just as he always did upon waking up, unwilling as always to part with the sweet oblivion of sleep. He had never been a morning person.

She couldn’t help but smile. It felt strange on her face, foreign after all these hours of fear and helplessness, but so very welcome. It was just a small thing, him fighting against waking up, but it was such a typical Ed thing that seeing it felt like a balm on her frayed nerves.

With a final groan that turned into a sigh his eyes blinked open. Slowly at first, until they got used to the light. There was no more pain hidden behind his beautiful brown eyes this time.

“Good morning,” she greeted him with a warm smile.

He looked at her as she spoke, that typical ‘it’s morning, what’s good about _that_?’ expression on his face, but before he replied a frown settled on his brow and he looked away again, taking in his surroundings this time. With a groan he sank deeper into the pillow and buried his face in his free hand.

“It wasn’t a dream then?” he rasped, his voice still rough from the abuse his throat had taken last night.

The urge to laugh was almost overwhelming, but Kelly knew – she _knew_ – that if she gave in to that laugh it would most likely turn to tears soon after and she really, really didn’t want to cry. ‘You had me scared for a moment’ - the words were at the tip of her tongue, but it was just the same with those. It came too close to nudging at the big ball of stress and fear and tension within her that were hard to shake. She wasn’t ready to touch that quite yet, afraid what she might unleash by untangling it.

So she went for something neutral instead.

“Sorry, not a dream, no.”

He groaned again. It took a while until he gave up hiding behind his hand.

She smiled at him, lifting their intertwined hands up and kissing the back of his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Embarrassed!”

She rolled her eyes. “There’s no reason for that, you dumbo! I’m serious, Ed, how are you feeling?”

He sighed. “Well, my throat’s dry as hell, but otherwise- I’m all good, I guess.” He shifted and tried to sit up, only to groan and grimace and press his free hand against his belly. Stubborn as always, though, he used said free hand to push himself up nonetheless, hissing all the way through. “Fuck! I think I actually managed to pull a muscle from puking my freaking guts out. This is just great.”

It was music in her ears.

Every curse a more beautiful sound than the one before.

And finally the tension in her shoulders gave way. Her relief pooled in her belly, warm and wonderful and it pulled at her lips, painting a big, big grin on her face.

Everything was as it should be again.

The door opened right at that moment and Dr. Lacrell strolled in, a pleased smile on his face at seeing his patient up and about for a change.

“Good Morning, Mr. Mercer. I see you’re feeling much better now.”

“Indeed. Actually, I feel perfectly fine. Thank you, Doc.”

“Well, I’ll be the judge of that, but given your last scan I don’t think we need to keep you here any longer. Still, I’d like to do a last check up before releasing you. Anyway, I came here to tell you that I finally figured out what led to that unusual tserebzin accumulation. And thank you, Mrs. Grayson, by the way, for your blood sample. It helped leading me in the right direction.”

They both perked up at that.

“So, why did Ed react so badly to the food?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Ed grumbled, “I’d really like to know that as well.”

The Retepsian doctor, now in proper attire, sat down at the foot end of the bed, his eyes alight with fascination and satisfaction. “Human metabolism is more fascinating than I would’ve thought. Quite robust compared to other species and surprisingly flexible and yet the tiniest of changes can lead to catastrophic results. I told you already, that there’s a chemical in most of our food items that Humans break down into tserebzin, a toxic compound for your species. But you’ve got another enzyme in your bodies, namely in your liver, that metabolizes many things, most pain medications for example. Said enzyme is capable to connect with tserebzin and change it into something harmless.

As I told you before, some Humans feel some slight nausea after consuming Retepsian food. In those people this enzyme doesn’t work as efficiently as in others, so there’s a little bit of toxin accumulating that therefore leads to these symptoms.”

Ed frowned. “So what, you’re saying my enzyme is super lazy?”

Dr. Lacrell shook his head. “No, you would’ve serious limitations in your life otherwise. Your enzyme is working perfectly fine inside its _Human_ capacity. Genetic comparisons and consultation with the Union Medical Databank revealed a very, very rare mutation. A so called point mutation.”

“Yeah, I know what that is,” Ed said and Kelly nodded as well, remembering her science lessons well enough. “A change of a single nucleotide compared to the original or usual sequence.”

“Indeed,” the doctor agreed and Kelly couldn’t determine if he was pleased with that or annoyed that they’d interrupted his explanation. “In your case, this single change resulted in a change of amino acid and therefore a changed 3-D-structure of the enzyme. It’s perfectly fine to do its job if it comes to Human metabolism, but that change in structure made it impossible for the enzyme to connect with the tserebzin. That’s why the toxin accumulated unhindered and wrecked havoc on your body.”

Kelly huffed. This was taking ‘small cause, big effect’ to a whole new level.

Ed blinked a few times before his eyebrows reached comical heights. “You’re telling me _all of this_ was because of a _single fucking nucleotide_ in my genetic makeup???”

The doctor nodded. “Essentially- yeah. That’s the gist of it. I’ll send a note of these findings to Union Medical. It’s for them to decide if cases like yours warrant some kind of mandatory genetic testing before visiting a Retepsian colony.” He got up again, pulling his scanner out of his pocket.

Before he could say something, Ed gave a nondescript wave with his hand. “Go ahead. The sooner I can get out of here the better.”

“He really doesn’t like medbays,” Kelly explained.

It only took a moment, then the doc smiled and nodded. “Just as I thought. No more signs of tserebzin and your liver healed up fine as well. Your muscles might feel a little sore for a while and you’d better refrain from consuming alcohol for a few days. Other than that, you’re free to go, Mr. Mercer.”

“Very good!”

Ed was already out of the bed before the Retepsian got a chance to add something. “Should you like to consume Retepsian food again during your stay here I can provide you with an enzyme injection that’ll let you enjoy it without any side effects.”

She thought he actually paled a bit at that suggestion. Ed shook his head, quite vigorously. “Thanks, but I’m not planning on eating anything Retepsian ever again. No offense.”

Dr. Lacrell merely shrugged, then said his goodbye and left them alone.

She handed him a second set of dressing gown and slippers. While slipping them on he grimaced, then smacked his lips, an expression of utter disgust on his face. “Damn, I really need to brush my teeth.”

Happy to have her husband back the way it was supposed to be, she simply put her hand on his back and guided him towards the door. “Come on, then.”

 

 

***

 

 

The view from the balcony was amazing. The sun was still really low on the horizon and painted this beautiful picture of light and shadows all around. The roofs of the few little houses around sparkled in the light and there was a milky mist wafting across the lake that could be seen in the distance between shimmering mountains. It was all rather hypnotic, her eyelids already sluggish and heavy.

Kelly just stood there, leaning against the balcony rail with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and watched the mist swirl, always in motion, never staying still. The smell of coffee only added to the strange feeling of weightlessness and comfort.

It was over now. This horrible night was really over and Ed was alright again. She couldn’t put in words how grateful she was for that, but luckily she didn’t need to.

Ed was back in the bathroom – that had been thoroughly cleaned by the hotel’s cleaning service – brushing his teeth and taking a shower. If she were in his shoes wanting to feel clean again would’ve been at the top of her list, too.

Despite the pleasant warmth of the sun on her face there’s still a subtle chill in the air. She pulled the dressing gown a bit tighter around her body and inhaled deeply, enjoying the lack of tension in her shoulders. And the rich smell of coffee.

She heard his footsteps behind her, but she didn’t felt like moving. A moment later his arms twined around her waist and he snuggled up to her, his body flush against hers, solid and strong as it should be. After a soft kiss to her neck he put his chin on her shoulder.

“You didn’t drink your coffee.”

She could practically hear the frown in his voice.

“Hm?” It took her a second to realize that he was right. She’d been standing here for quite a while now, holding and smelling that coffee, but never taking a sip. “Oh.”

He took the cup out of her hands and placed it somewhere behind them. Next thing she knew he was standing in front of her, close enough that she could see her own reflection in his eyes. He was holding her hand and all she could think of was that she kind of missed his close embrace from just a moment ago.

“You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine.”

He grinned. “Like I said: a pretty little liar.” But then he got sober again. “Look Kelly, I am so so sorry for what happened.”

“Ed,” she interrupted him right away. “I told you already. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“That a stupid nucleotide would ruin our anniversary? Probably not. Anyway, I feel kind of responsible.” He sighed. “I wanted this night to be special.”

She nudged him, a cheeky grin on her lips. “I _was_ special.”

“Haha, very funny.”

She looked at him, really looked at him and the fondness inside her, the love and affection for him got almost too much to bear. She cupped his neck with one hand, caressing his cheek with her thumb. “Look, I’m just glad you’re okay. That’s all that matters to me.”

He kissed her. Gentle and with caution, as if she were something precious that needed to be cherished and handled with care. She could’ve drowned in that kiss right there and then.

“Come here.”

She followed his guidance without thinking as he led her back and onto the porch swing right next to the door. At least it looked more or less like a porch swing, only more comfortable, almost like a couch, but made into a swing. Ed leaned back down against the cushions, pulling her right with him until she was lying against him, her head resting on his chest.

This was a bad idea!

She started struggling, a rather weak and pathetic attempt at trying to get up again. “No, let me up. I’ll fall asleep.”

“So?”

Sighing, she gave up for the moment. It was too exhausting right now. “We only have until this afternoon together. I don’t want to waste that time.”

She heard – and felt – him snicker. It was rather nice, the sound as well as the soft movement of his chest beneath her. She put her hand up and placed it on his chest to feel more of it.

“It’s not a waste. You’re tired. You’ve got every right to be after this night. So _you_ get to sleep on the best pillow in the whole wide universe-”

She had to smile. That special fond smile that only Ed could put there with his sweet and mostly silly antics. The one that felt so absolutely right on her lips and in her heart.

“-and I-” The last remnants of wittiness were gone from his voice now. Just Ed being serious. “-I get to watch my beautiful wife sleep.”

“You’re such a-” The yawn came out of nowhere. “-romantic.”

Again he chuckled.

Again it felt nice. Just as listening to his voice did.

“One of us has to be!”

There was a pause. “Wow! No immediate comeback to that? You must be really worn out then.”

He kissed her hair and his hand ran up and down her arm. Slowly. Soothingly.

The air smelled faintly like freshly cut grass.

Ed was alright and right here, with her.

And the last thing she heard before she finally fell asleep was his voice, whispering into her hair:

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Kelly.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you had as much fun as I had writing this! :D


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